


14106 Means Love

by usagigirlff



Series: Moca's ChikaItaWeek2020 [4]
Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25756651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usagigirlff/pseuds/usagigirlff
Summary: [#Chikaita Week 2020] Day 4:Car Rides/Love Languages/CookingChikage is a hopelessly lost romantic and Izumi is there for the ride (i.e. kidnapped.)
Relationships: Chigasaki Itaru/Utsuki Chikage
Series: Moca's ChikaItaWeek2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1864408
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44
Collections: ChikaIta Week 2020





	14106 Means Love

While they'd officially begun dating in the summer, neither Chikage nor Itaru had ever worked up the terms for a proper date since. It was November.

Itaru always brushed it off with the usual excuses of being busy with games or that they "weren't the type of couple to need movie dates to crawl over each other in a normie display of affection," but Chikage wasn't so sure. He didn't want to misstep and abuse the trust Itaru was clearly displaying in order to cater toward Chikage's more secretive nature. 

This was the first time Chikage had ever considered a relationship beyond friendship. He didn't want to mess this up. 

So, like any good person would do, Chikage plunged himself into research, pulling any article from all sorts of sites and meticulously sorting through media to find exactly how real people went about a loving relationship. 

The internet denizens seemed to have a lot of opinions, but they ranged from not so helpful to just plain fantasy, so it was hard to sort out the facts from the fictions without pulling each profile to examine the validity of the advice. He may be looking for answers, but even he wasn't that desperate yet.

Romance movies were an option (one that Citron had not so secretly left in a pile in front of their door) but again, the hetero-typical romantic quests seemed almost a different genre to the abnormal relationship he and Chigasaki started with. 

Office romances didn't leave much past the pursuit of regular work conversations (not generally something either of them would appreciate outside of their office personalities,) and the odd mix of action romance movies didn't seem to project the strength or support Chigasaki provided to their relationship. He was pretty, and definitely useless with physical labor, but he was no action movie damsel.

Chikage may have been the one to move their relationship forward, but he knows it was never a matter of whether Chigasaki wanted the same thing. Chigasaki never hesitated or complained. He never pushed Chikage into anything, just waited until the moment Chikage was ready to allow for something new to bloom in his heart.

There was no romance movie that could accurately capture the strength of that type of person. Even Chikage didn't quite understand where Itaru could get it from. For someone who seemed so invested in keeping people at a distance, he could be quick at jumping to protect someone he'd only just met, sometimes to the extent of recklessness. But that was one of the hallmarks that made him perfect for the Spring Troupe, Chikage supposed.

The majority of movies having been fast forwarded through and discarded, Chikage found the same problem with the books he'd borrowed from Arisugawa.

Arisugawa's collections was more fantastical than the realistic nature of romcom movies, but didn't quite capture the couple that they were either. 

A majority of the books starred sassy, backtalking adventurers who were somewhat reminicent of how their banter could get when Chigasaki felt particularly inclined to keep it up, but the romance aspect would fall though. They went on adventures and fell slowly in love throughout several novels, but never detailed exactly what couples did once they passed that point. Not to mention that dragging Itaru out into the wild would hardly be the sort of thing that could possibly bring them closer.

Skimming through them a bit more, Chikage felt like it was a hopeless endeavor. Was he asking for too much? Their relationship wasn't pictured in anything he could find so far. 

_No, there must be some way to get advice._

Chikage narrowed down the list of adults in Mankai, trying to think of who else he could go to.

There was Sakyo, but that man was in even more of a hopeless situation than Chikage was.

He'd already flipped through what Citron and Arisugawa had to offer...

Putting aside Guy and his roommate...

* * *

"Director."

"Oh Jesus Christ, Chikage you scared me. What's up?"

"Let's go on a date."

"... Excuse me?!"

Chikage grabbed the director bodily and half carried her to his car, grabbing her shoes and coat by the entrance. Making sure she was buckled in, he punched the reverse, spinning it around in one smooth motion and floored the accelerator.

  
They made it to Veludo Way's shopping district in record time with Chikage's mad driving, parking at the back of a unrented unit completely out of sight from the main road.

Izumi leaned over the stick shift once they were properly parked to grab Chikage by the turtleneck. 

"I thought you were done with kidnapping?! What. Are. You. Doing?!!"

Chikage looked down at the silm hands gripping the front of his collar. Maybe it was a sign of his growth that he didn't react as violently to it as he used to. Still, that didn't mean had to appreciate it either. He glared at Izumi to let go.

Izumi relented, instead crossing her arms against her chest to show her clear unhappiness. 

Chikage relaxed again, "I said this was a date. I don't think any kidnapper would take their hostage somewhere they'd recognize immediately."

"Not unless they were going to murder them!"

"Not in my car they won't."

Chikage opened the door, stepping out onto the empty lot before making a circle around the hood of the car to open the passenger side as well. He held out her shoes in his hands, her coat slung across his arm tastefully. Izumi looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"What about when I step out of the car?"

Chikage sighed. "I'm not going to do any bodily harm to you, Director."

Izumi didn't move. "You promise?"

"Would it make you feel better if I used my pinky?"

"Fine! I get it."

Izumi grabbed the shoes to change before stepping out onto the concrete. 

"Okay. Why are we here?"

Chikage tossed her coat at her before he turned to cross the parking lot, heading toward the main area of the shopping district.

"I told you, we're going on a date."

The directed popped up by his side, coat secured around her shoulders. It was nearing winter after all. 

"You and me?"

"Do you see anyone else?"

She whirled around to block his path, stopping him in his tracks. Her bright amber eyes shown in the confident way he'd never seen once falter.

"What about Itaru?"

Chikage looked away. He brushed her aside, continuing his walk to the alleyway that would lead out of the street.

"If you keep walking, I'll call him and ask myself!"

"You can try, but your phone is in the car."

"Wha-?" He heard the sounds of her slapping at her clothing. "Chikage, unlock your car!"

* * *

The table they sat at was clearly meant for couples. The fashionably elegant round table hosted two matching decorative high chairs, raised high enough that even Chikage's feet were resting comfortably on the chair beam instead of the floor. They had a beautiful view of the bright outside street, already fully decked out in fancy decorations for Christmas one month early. It wasn't dark enough for the lights to be turned on, but the various bits of colourful ribbons and the sparkling plastic snowflakes reflecting off vibrant greenery set the mood clear enough. If not that, the repetitive loop of cheery music played throughout the plaza was a sure sign of the holidays to come. 

Izumi, despite being surounded by the holiday cheer and splendor, was displaying all the stubborn resistance she could muster, with her chin resting in her palm, supported on the small table, other hand idly stirring her tiny latte into a mini froth with a candy cane. Her mouth was formed into a cute pout as she refused to so much as glance at Chikage's face (at least until she thought he couldn't see her clear through the reflection in the window.)

"You can order something else you know? I brought you here because this cafe is offering their new reindeer curry special today."

"I don't have my phone or wallet. The most I can pay for is this coffee." She sharply bit off.

"I meant what I said. This is my treat. Order what you'd like."

Izumi tilted her head against her palm to fully stare at him with those fiery eyes.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but I don't intend to help you cheat on your boyfriend, Chikage."

"...."

It was refreshing how straightforward the director usually was. Usually, that naivety meant that she couldn't see an inch past any of his made up tales, but when it came down to it, the important things, the director was always running forward at a speed that could only drag the rest of Mankai Company along.

Maybe he needed to stop beating around the bush. It was hard to be so candid like the rest of his troupe, but this was for Itaru.

"... I don't understand."

"By what?" Izumi asked, throughly confused.

"Isn't this what a date is?"

"...What?"

"I can't see what's special about this, or how this is different than when we just go out to eat curry together like we regularly do. It's no different than when I take clients out to lunch and pay for their meals, nor is it different from the setting of taking someone I know to a place that I like. So can you, Director, honestly tell me: What makes this a date?"

Izumi's head had perked up off her arm as she listened to his questions, her eyes lit as a strange understanding occured to her. Maybe this would be the solution he was searching for?

"Chikage..."

He waited for her to continue. The hustle and bustle around them continued. A waiter asked the table next to them whether they needed the bill.

"Chikage... Are you... You don't need to _do_ something specific to make it a date."

She seemed to be struggling a bit with the next part of her explanation, but Chikage patiently waited.

"Do you know what a love language is?"

Surprised, he filed through his list of Japanese phrases to try and recall the meaning of those words, finding that he didn't quite understand the combined etymology. Still, he could at least gain the literal meaning:

"Being able to say the words 'I love you?'"

Izumi smiled, dropping her melted stirring stick on the saucer and using both hands to prop herself up, fully embracing the romantic topic.

"Well, it's that. And it's more."

"Love languages are all the ways you show your love. From the little actions every day; like straightening his slippers in the morning when he puts on his shoes, or making sure he has water when he gets tired during practice, or keeping extra hair clips in your pocket for when his bangs start to annoy him."

"... I'm just picking them up since he leaves them every where. It'd make more trouble for me to hunt them down later."

Izumi shook her head knowingly.

"That's not the point and you know it. Besides, I'm pretty sure Azuma and Yuki are starting to collect them. And Sakyo maybe, but I think he just tosses them into the garbage instead."

"Anyways! Love language covers the bigger things too; like being there for him when no one else is, or setting aside a bit of time so that just the two of you can disappear off together and relax, or yes, just saying 'I love you.'"

"I can't tell you exactly what your love languages means to you because love language is unique for every couple, and there's going to be no couple in the world like yours."

That was... A lot to digest. Chikage wasn't aware how blatant he and Itaru were about their relationship. He briefly wondered whether the other members of the Mankai Company noticed as much as the director had...

Chikage forced himself back to the crux of the issue. If going out on a date like a normal person wouldn't work, what could Chikage do to show Chigasaki that he could make this relationship move forward? He wanted to show he was ready for it and whatever it entailed, but Chikage didn't know the slightest how to communicate that with his all too forgiving partner, using words or their 'love language.' But since the Director was aware of his problems, at least he could eliminate some things from his available options...

"So... I shouldn't ask him out?"

Izumi's chin slipped out from under her in a bit of shock, but she caught it with her other hand before it could make anything more than a jerking bob.

"No, no! That's not what I meant at all!"

Recovering from that, Izumi adjusted herself on the chair, sipping from her coffee to ruminate before reaching her ultimatum. She looked up, her fiery eyes starring straight though his glasses, burning a hole through his defenses.

"Chikage, don't you feel different when you spend your time alone with him rather than me?"

Chikage thought back to the sound of rain and Chigasaki curled up against his chest. It wasn't particularly special, nothing happened—but somehow, that night remained a warm memory in Chikage's mind. The comfort of home captured in a single scene.

"... Yeah."

Izumi rolled on, more determined than ever, "So if you had taken Itaru instead of me right now, wouldn't you feel that same different as well?"

There was the time he'd barely gotten off the long flight back from Singapore, when he'd coincidentally bumped into Chigasaki on the way home.

The two of them went for curry, and while Chigasaki had not enjoyed the experimental flavours of the cinnamon and nutmeg spices, it had been another memory that stuck with him; both the frozen image of Itaru outlined in the golden hue of street lights, like some stage lighting had escaped and felt determined to highlight this moment of him, hands covering the deep scarlet blush that had spread across his wind-chilled rosy cheeks but betrayed by the contrast of red ears on blond hair; or the echo of the somewhat out of character laughter that had burst out uncontrollably when Chikage had sullenly mentioned that he needed to go back to the cafe another time because his camera had fogged while taking the photo for his blog.

Chikage wasn't sure what to do with the feelings that kept swirling inside each contained memory. It only served to show how much of his heart was owed to them now that he'd finally been able to feel all of it again. So numb after losing August, there were months on end that he couldn't feel it beat at all. Now, with Mankai Company, with Itaru, Chikage could feel each new memory replacing, no, recovering the feelings of old memories he'd forgotten existed within himself.

Blinking himself back into the real world, Chikage found Director's proud eyes tracing his face.

That's right. Now that he had some help, it didn't seem so impossible that he's be finally able to give back to the people he cared about the most. There wasn't anyone making the rules to the individuals at Mankai, no right or wrong, and when the end goal was always the same beautiful thing, it was impossible to tell exactly what kind of new memories could be made. These people would always fight for him, for reasons Chikage would never fully be able to understand himself, but he would try his best to protect them in the ways he could.

Itaru would wait for him to figure it out for that same reason.

"... You're right, director."

Izumi gave him a cheery smile.

"Great! Those are the words I've always wanted to hear!"

Then, just to recover a bit of his lost momentum, 

"It's too late to have the curry anyways."

"Huh?"

"It's already 2 in the afternoon. You must have had lunch earlier and didn't want to gorge yourself on anymore curry. This was my mistake. It's alright if you really want to leave. We can go right now instead of trying it."

"W-wait-"

"Ah, it's too bad. I came here specially today because it was supposed to be the day that they were holding free taste-testing to try out new spice combinations before they went public with it on their menu. But since you're done for the day, I shouldn't push you, Director."

"Free?! Uhh..."

"Well, I know it was brief, but thank you for the advice, Director. It was more helpful than I thought it'd be. I'll flag down the waiter-"

"WAIT!!! Chikage, why didn't you tell me it was free curry?!"

Chikage gave a cool shrug, "You didn't ask."

  
"... Okay. Maybe I changed my mind. We can stay and have a late lunch? Just as friends! Not as a date! Got it?"

"Okay then. Let's be friends, Izumi."

"What? Ugh! I'd better be getting my curry for this!"

**Author's Note:**

> Chikage's kind of an asshole sometimes, but he's trying?  
> Speaking of which, Itaru doesn't actually appear but he's there... In spirit? Does this count? Sorry if I broke the ChikaIta rules m(_ _)m (I did reread them to make sure! No one said they had to be joined at the hip all week!)
> 
> The title, 14106, is read as 1"Ai" 4"Shi" 10"Te(n)" 6"Ru" or Aishiteru~ That's your Japanese lesson of the day! Hope you enjoyed it! (o^^o)
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope that everyone was somewhat in character? Let's hope I somehow manage to write tomorrows prompt in time lol~


End file.
